It is often necessary to immobilize the ankle and surrounding tissue in a foot after injury or surgery. In the past, plaster casts have been used which encapsulate the lower leg and foot of the patient to immobilize the ankle joint. These casts may be designed solely to stabilize the ankle or may include a metal stirrup to permit walking with the cast.
The placement of the cast on the ankle is a time-consuming and costly procedure. In addition, the ankle joint is commonly swollen when applying the cast. When the swelling is reduced, the cast then provides a poor fit to the ankle joint, reducing the effectiveness of the immobilization. In many cases, the area adjacent the ankle joint will bleed after the cast is applied. In most cases, the bleeding stops after a short while. However, the blood dried gauze within the cast must remain on the foot until the cast is removed, often weeks later. If bleeding persists, the cast must be removed from the condition to be corrected. This entails a second costly application of the cast.
During use of a plaster cast, it becomes virtually impossible to bathe in the normal manner. No technique has been discovered which will effectively prevent water from entering the cast. In addition, the confirming and rigid nature of the cast often leads to skin discomfort to the patient.
Another often used technique for ankle stabilization is the use of bandage wrapping. This technique permits ready removal for bathing or relief of irritation to the skin. However, the bandage does not provide rigid stabilization of the ankle and the patient must often walk with crutches to avoid the application of weight to the injured ankle.
Therefore, a need exists for an improvement in the art of stabilizing the ankle which combines the function of rigid stabilization of the ankle while permitting ready removal to permit the application of new bandages and allow the patient to bathe and relieve discomfort.